Sterling Heights drugstore robbery fails miserably

A violent armed robbery of a Sterling Heights pharmacy went wrong in almost every way for a trio of suspected robbers who not only failed to grab the drugs they were aiming for but almost ran right into police in their failed getaway.

The incident took place Friday at the Plumbrook Pharmacy on Van Dyke north of 17 Mile Road when the suspects burst in at 9:05 a.m. as a female employee was opening for the day. The gunmen ordered her to the floor and waited for the pharmacist to arrive before forcing him to the ground, said Detective Lt. Kevin Reese.

Moments later, a female patient from a nearby medical office interrupted the robbery in progress and was ordered to the floor at gunpoint. Then the gunmen began emptying the shelves of various medications into a large duffle bag and fled the store to an awaiting vehicle. A witness who saw the escape immediately called 911 with a vehicle description.

At that point, a pair of plainclothes detectives were in the area and heard a bulletin on their police radio as the getaway car was leaving the parking lot. The detectives called for backup from road patrol officers and the team of officers stopped and arrested the suspects.

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“There was only a short delay between the time we received the 911 call and the time our detectives were there,” Reese said. “So the suspects didn’t have much of a chance to escape.”

Even if the robbers had escaped, their loot wasn’t worth much.

“They were going over prescription pain killers that have street value like vicodin and oxicoton,” Reese said. “But that stuff was all locked up because those are controlled substances. These guys were just taking routine stuff from the counter, stuff no one would really be interested in buying on the street.”

Police searched the neighborhood around the pharmacy and located the duffle bag containing the stolen medicines and a handgun.

The suspects were arraigned on Monday before 41A District Court Magistrate Michael Piatek on charges of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Adren Thimes, 25, of Detroit, was ordered to be held in the Macomb County Jail on a $1 million bond, while Dwane Hill, 31, and Malvern Park, 32, both of Detroit, each had bond set at $500,000.

Thimes’ bond was higher because he was on parole for armed robbery out of Wayne County. Michigan Department of Corrections records show he had been paroled on July 24 after serving about four years of 3- to 15-year sentence in prison, and has previous convictions for fleeing police.